hiloni means an irreligious and/or lightly-observant Jew. It carries an Arena rating of 1433, earned across 11 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, hiloni ranks #1,392 of 13,220 for Most Elegant Words, #4,707 of 13,220 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #5,232 of 13,220 for Most Incisive Words, #5,785 of 13,220 for Most Exacting Words.
Why “hiloni” is a great word
A secular or non-observant Jew, particularly one whose identity is grounded in the civic and national dimensions of Israeli society. Borrowed from Modern Hebrew חִלּוֹנִי (ḥiloni, "secular"), from חֹל (ḥol, "profane, mundane"). Unlike the *dati*, who lives within a comprehensive religious law, or the *masorti*, who navigates a selective, personal tradition, the *hiloni* explicitly inhabits the secular sphere. It is the scent of grilled meat on a Friday evening instead of candle wax, the sound of traffic on a Yom Kippur street, and the civic pride of a national holiday stripped of liturgical weight—a quiet, collective declaration that the earthly city is enough.
Etymology
Borrowed from Hebrew חילוני (“secular”).
noun
- An irreligious and/or lightly-observant Jew
Words closest in meaning
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